The San Diego Zoo

I have been going to the zoo for a long time. But for memberships, it has always been wildly overpriced. It's the one place where you can pay $15 for a fast food meal that normally costs less than $5. The collection of animals has always been spectacular.

So, how did it go downhill?

Disney.

I don't know if Disney worked on the zoo or someone copied them (Sort of like asking which duplicate rubber stamp was used), but the stench is obvious. At the zoo's entrance, there is always world music playing. Further in, you hear animal sounds. The sounds are generated by speakers with sensors. When you walk by, there are sound effects of animals that were probably lifted from old jungle movies. Many fake displays look like Disney was the contract manufacturer. The worst is the concrete tar pit near the elephants.

Celebrities

The shelf life of celebrities hasn't changed much. Some last a long time, while others come and go quickly.

One thing that has changed is how they evolve over time. I remember cringing at Britney Spears. Since she is younger than me, I thought I would be spared seeing her turn into Elizabeth Taylor. No such luck.

Famous people used to be timeless. Everyone wondered how they looked so good for so long. Now, they age faster than anybody.

I wonder if this means we'll stop seeing them in ads for cosmetics.

A better cause

I usually don't interrupt things for charity, but something has come along that tugs at my heartstrings. It's such an obvious reason to open your wallet and experience compassion.

Shirts for the Topless® is a new, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping today's young women who are fighting the consequences of an acute fabric shortage. You can see them on the internet, photographed all over the world. Not enough clothes.

You can help by sending your money and your excess outerwear to:

Santa Clara Publishing
PO Box 12483
El Cajon, CA 92022
USA

Put "Shirts for the Topless®" in the memo line of your check.

British Water

I don't know the name of any of the companies or the old one, but a friend from there writes about the situation frequently. Privatization means that water and sewage services are now profit centers. Various types of plants were built to last in the old days. Now, everything is flimsy, and it breaks all the time. Extra money is put into golf courses and real estate developments instead of infrastructure. Although it rains nearly every day throughout Britain, they have water shortages, and even more incredibly, "The wrong sort of rain."